World Sailing needs to do some governing

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
The Moth Class has been that cross-training platform for America’s Cup competitors, with the helms for the latest edition – Peter Burling (Luna Rossa), Dylan Fletcher (GB1), Paul Goodison (Tudor Team Alinghi), Nathan Outteridge (Team New Zealand), and Tom Slingsby (Team Australia) – as past world champions.

So, the America’s Cup promotion department got pretty excited when the 2026 Moth World title went to Enzo Balanger from the French team, but then they went too far by noting how Britain’s Hattie Rogers, a trimmer for the British Women’s America’s Cup Team, won the Women’s World title.

Only problem is that there is no Women’s World title, mostly because Hattie beat only one other woman. But that doesn’t stop the Class from the proclamation on social media, because well, “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”

I pursued this issue after the 2022 Moth Worlds when the “Women’s World Champion” beat two people. World Sailing cares, as it should, that World titles be worldly, and that there are participation requirements. The Moth Class isn’t close.

This is meant as no disrespect to Hattie, or women in sailing, but the Class knows these titles are not recognized by World Sailing, and worse, World Sailing has allowed this for years. The only thing worse than regulations is regulations that aren’t followed. The international governing body for the sport of sailing needs to do some governing.